Engels’ Scientific And Technological Thought And Its Contemporary Enlightenment

Science and technology is an important way for human beings to know and transform the world.Engels paid close attention to science and technology and its development all his life.Starting with the relationship between science and technology and nature,man and society,Engels investigated the emergence and development of science and technology on the basis of systematically combing natural history,human history and the history of science and technology,and combined with the general law of the development of social history,and formed his own scientific and technological thought.Under the background of today’s ecological crisis and ethical dilemma of science and technology,Engels’ scientific and technological thought has great practical significance.Starting from the background of Engels’ scientific and technological thought and following the track of European scientific and technological revolution,this paper traces the formation of Engels’ scientific and technological thought.Engels’ scientific and technological thought came into being under the double background of the rapid progress of science and technology in the 18 th and 19 th centuries and the oppression and exploitation of workers by the bourgeoisie using advanced scientific and technological achievements.On the one hand,Engels saw the powerful power of science and technology that shocked the world,on the other hand,he also saw the prominent negative effects of science and technology under the capitalist system,which was his ideological starting point for rethinking modern science and technology.Based on Engels’ text,the main contents of Engels’ scientific and technological thought are summarized from three angles: science and technology and human development,scientific application and social system,scientific and technological ethics and ecological environment.Specifically,Engels,based on the overall perspective of social and historical development,saw the important role of science and technology in promoting the progress of social productive forces,promoting the transformation of social relations and promoting human liberation,and affirmed the important value of science and technology in promoting human development.On the other hand,Engels also saw that under the capitalist system,the development of science and technology contradicted its original intention,resulting in the destruction of ecological environment,the extreme deterioration of workers’ living conditions and the alienation between people.It is believed that the root of all this lies in the capitalist application of science and technology,and only by transcending the capitalist system can science and technology get real development.In addition,Engels analyzed the relationship between science and technology and nature,and between science and technology and man,and thought that the development of science and technology should follow the laws of nature and serve the free and all-round development of man.Engels’ scientific and technological thought is characterized by dialectic,historicity and system,which is a shining example of the combination of dialectical materialism and historical materialism.On this basis,it summarizes the extensive influence of Engels’ scientific and technological thought and points out the important value of Engels’ scientific and technological thought.At the same time,taking care of the reality and combining with the background of the new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics,Engels’ scientific and technological thought is further expounded.Adhere to the combination of scientific and technological innovation and improvement of scientific and technological ethics,and make all people share the achievements of scientific and technological progress while giving full play to the progressive role of science and technology.Adhere to the combination of scientific and technological development and ecological environment protection,and realize the two-way interaction between science and technology and nature.Adhere to the combination of independent innovation and institutional innovation,and give full play to the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.